Statement on Attendance

The classroom is the heart of the educational experience at Rivier College because it provides, uniquely, a formal setting for the important exchanges among faculty and students. Regular and punctual attendance at all classes, essential for maximum academic achievement, is a major responsibility of Rivier College students. Failure to attend and contribute to the classroom environment significantly and demonstrably reduces the quality of the educational experience for everyone in the classroom. As a result, absences almost always impact quality performance.

As part of its commitment to a quality educational experience for all members of the Rivier community, the College formally requires specific attendance policies to be developed by its professors and reviewed by their Chair and Dean. Any form of attendance used by an individual professor as a criterion for evaluation must be specified in the course syllabus and presented to students during the first week of classes. These policies may include reasonable penalties and sanctions for excessive absences.

In the event of prolonged illness, accident, or similar emergency, it is the responsibility of the student to notify both the professor and the Office of the Dean. Students must remember that it is always their responsibility to make up the work they have missed during an absence from class. Students are directed to confer with their professors when their absences jeopardize satisfactory progress. Whenever a professor is absent without notification, students are expected to wait fifteen minutes before leaving and to sign an Attendance List, which a class member delivers to the Office of the Dean.

Instructors are required to record attendance and alert the Registrar when a student fails to attend the equivalent of two consecutive weeks of courses (2 absences for a course meeting once a week, 4 absences for a course meeting twice a week, 6 absences for a course meeting three times a week). The student will then be alerted that he/she is in danger of falling under the “habitual non-attendance” policy” (see below).

Habitual Non-Attendance Policy

Habitual non-attendance is defined as an absence in any course (for any reason whatsoever) equating to three full weeks of missed class sessions (3 absences for a course meeting once a week, 6 absences for a course meeting twice a week, 9 absences for a course meeting three times a week).

Faculty members will notify the Office of Academic Advising when a student has reached the habitual non-attendance criteria for their course(s). The Office of Academic Administration, in collaboration with the student’s Academic Advisor, will then attempt to resolve the issue of habitual non-attendance with the student. It is the student’s responsibility to notify the Office of the Academic Advising of any intention to withdraw from a course or to withdraw from the College. If the student, however, has not officially withdrawn from the course(s) by the College’s published last date to withdraw from a course, the faculty member will assign a grade of F.

Students who have been documented as habitual non-attendees in one or more classes may also be in jeopardy of violating the Resident Attendance Policy.

Students who have attended no class sessions of a course or courses from which they are registered by the end of the drop/add period will be dropped from each class not attended. If a student never attended any courses during the drop/add period, the student will be withdrawn from his/her full schedule of courses.